Music lyrics linked to underage sex

Youngsters who listen to music featuring degrading references to sex are more likely to engage in underage sex, new research suggests.

A study at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed 711 youngsters aged 14 to 15 about the kind of music they listened to and their sexual habits.

They found that those who listened to music with explicit phrases were twice as likely to be sexually active.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and researcher Brian Primack said that more studies are needed to confirm the findings.

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He commented: 'This study demonstrates that, among this sample of young adolescents, high exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex in popular music was independently associated with higher levels of sexual behaviour.'

Under-age sex is a concern because the UK has the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies in western Europe, according to figures compiled by the World Health Organisation.

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